Complete Short Stories — Robert Louis Stevenson 1969

📖 The Complete Short Stories of Robert Louis Stevenson (1969, Doubleday) — the only single-volume collection of Stevenson’s complete short fiction, including Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, edited with a critical introduction by Charles Neider. First Edition, stated on copyright page. Dust jacket unclipped at original $10.00.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)
• Editor: Charles Neider (1915–2001)
• Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York
• Year: 1969 (First Edition, stated)
• Format: Hardcover in two-tone cloth with dust jacket
• Pages: 673 | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era; LOCCN 75-91111)
• Condition: Book VG- / Jacket VG — full report below

THE STORY

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) wrote short fiction that bridged Victorian gothic horror and modern adventure storytelling. His influence extends from H.P. Lovecraft’s atmospheric dread to Graham Greene’s moral thrillers. This collection gathers every short story Stevenson published, from the early Parisian adventures of New Arabian Nights (1878) through the South Sea tales written during his final years in Samoa.

Stevenson died in Vailima, Samoa on December 3, 1894, at age 44. The 75th anniversary of his death was the occasion for this comprehensive Doubleday edition, the first time all his short fiction appeared in a single volume.

THIS EDITION

Charles Neider (1915–2001) was an American editor and biographer best known for his landmark edition of The Autobiography of Mark Twain and for discovering Fanny Stevenson’s Samoan diary, published as Our Samoan Adventure. His introduction to this collection draws on decades of Stevenson scholarship to contextualize the stories within the author’s restless life across Europe, America, and the Pacific islands.

The volume includes 16 complete short stories plus four short novels: The Story of a Lie, The Merry Men, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Beach of Falesá. This First Edition carries the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 75-91111 and was printed in the United States of America.

COVER ART & DESIGN

The dust jacket features a stylized portrait of Stevenson by Stanislaw Zagorski, rendered in muted earth tones with an impressionistic, ink-wash quality. The jacket spine lists title, editor, and publisher in clean serif type. The back jacket panel contains a full blurb about Neider’s editorial work and his connection to Stevenson through the discovery of Fanny Stevenson’s diary. The book beneath is bound in two-tone brown and tan cloth with gold and red spine titles.

WHY IT MATTERS

• First comprehensive single-volume collection of Stevenson’s complete short fiction
• Includes Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one of the most adapted stories in English literature
• Edited by Charles Neider, whose Mark Twain scholarship and Stevenson research give this edition scholarly weight beyond a simple anthology
• Published on the 75th anniversary of Stevenson’s death (1894–1969)
• Features stories ranging from Parisian gothic (New Arabian Nights) to Pacific island adventure (The Beach of Falesá, The Isle of Voices)

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? First Edition, stated on the copyright page. Doubleday & Company, 1969. No later printings noted. LOCCN 75-91111.

What condition is it in? Very Good minus (VG-) overall. Two-tone cloth boards with spotting and foxing on the tan spine. Dust jacket shows minimal edge wear, chipped at spine tail. Text block clean and square. Full condition report below.

Is the dust jacket included? Yes. The jacket is present and unclipped, with the original $10.00 price visible on the back panel. Protected in a clear mylar sleeve.

FOR COLLECTORS

This is the edition to own if you want Stevenson’s complete short fiction in one volume with scholarly apparatus. The Neider introduction adds genuine editorial value beyond a reprint anthology, and the unclipped jacket with Zagorski’s portrait artwork makes it displayable as well as readable.

Condition Report

Overall Grade: Book: Very Good- (VG-) / Very Good (VG) / Jacket: Very Good (VG)

Cover & Spine: Two-tone brown and tan cloth boards. Spotting and age-foxing present along the tan cloth spine. Gold and red spine titles remain clear. Spine head and tail lightly bumped, board corners are sharp all around.

Dust Jacket: Minimal edge wear, chipped at spine tail, light toning along top edge.

Text Block & Pages: Text block edges are lightly age-toned. Internal pages are clean and off-white. Closes tightly and square.

Binding: Square, tight, and firm, crisp hinges. No loose, torn or folded pages, no writing.

See accompanying images for full condition details.

Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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